-~........ ........~-
†-~....... .......~-†
§†-~...... ......~-†§
%§†-~..... .....~-†§%
¤%§†-~.... ....~-†§%¤
#¤%§†-~... #...--------...# ...~-†§%¤#
##¤%§†-~.. ####.-- FERMI'S PARADOX --.#### ..~-†§%¤##
###¤%§†-~. #...--------...# .~-†§%¤###
##¤%§†-~.. ..~-†§%¤##
#¤%§†-~... ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ...~-†§%¤#
¤%§†-~.... LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES ....~-†§%¤
%§†-~..... OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE .....~-†§%
§†-~...... ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE ......~-†§
†-~....... BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR .......~-†
-~........ SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM ........~-
~......... INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE AS FUCK .........~
-~........ ANTENNA ARRAYS ........~-
†-~....... WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A .......~-†
§†-~...... DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH. ......~-†§
%§†-~..... .....~-†§%
¤%§†-~.... WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT OUR POSITION IN THE ....~-†§%¤
#¤%§†-~... SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS ...~-†§%¤#
##¤%§†-~.. PLACEMENT IN THE GALAXY, AND OUR ..~-†§%¤##
###¤%§†-~. GALAXYS PLACEMENT IN THE LOCAL CLUSTER, .~-†§%¤###
##¤%§†-~.. AND -OUR- LOCAL CLUSTERS PLACE IN THE ..~-†§%¤##
#¤%§†-~... GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS ...~-†§%¤#
¤%§†-~.... ....~-†§%¤
%§†-~..... AND WE'RE MOVING AROUND THE SUN AT .....~-†§%
§†-~...... VELOCITY AND THE SUNS MOVING AROUND THE ......~-†§
†-~....... CENTER OF THE GALAXY AT VELOCITY AND .......~-†
-~........ THE GALAXY IS MOVING TOWARD ANDROMEDA ........~-
~......... AND WE'RE BOTH MOVING ANTICLOCKWISE .........~
-~........ AROUND THE GALAXY. AND WE AS A SPECIES ........~-
†-~....... HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE ALL THAT IN ACCOUNT .......~-†
§†-~...... ......~-†§
%§†-~..... AND DESPITE ALL THIS, DESPITE ALL OUR .....~-†§%
¤%§†-~.... (CLICHE) BEAMING OF FUCKING STELLAR ....~-†§%¤
#¤%§†-~... RADIO PROGRAMMES OUT IN FUCKING SPACE ...~-†§%¤#
##¤%§†-~.. AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT (LIGHT IS OUR ..~-†§%¤##
###¤%§†-~. MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!), .~-†§%¤###
##¤%§†-~.. DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE ..~-†§%¤##
#¤%§†-~... COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS ...~-†§%¤#
¤%§†-~.... FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS ....~-†§%¤
%§†-~..... BEAMING OF ALL OUR SECRETS IN EVERY .....~-†§%
§†-~...... DIRECTION KNOWN TO US, ......~-†§
†-~....... .......~-†
-~........ NO . ONE . HAS . ANSWERED ........~-
~......... .........~
-~........ #...--------...# ........~-
†-~....... ####.-- FERMI'S PARADOX --.#### .......~-†
§†-~...... #...--------...# ......~-†§
%§†-~..... .....~-†§%
¤%§†-~.... SO WHY IS THAT? ....~-†§%¤
#¤%§†-~... ...~-†§%¤#
##¤%§†-~.. MOST OPPONENTS TO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN ..~-†§%¤##
###¤%§†-~. THE UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED .~-†§%¤###
##¤%§†-~.. A CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR AND THE ..~-†§%¤##
#¤%§†-~... PLANET NEEDS TO BE AT A SEE-AND-SO ...~-†§%¤#
¤%§†-~.... DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR (LIKE THERE ....~-†§%¤
%§†-~..... HAS TO BE A PLANET!) .....~-†§%
§†-~...... ......~-†§
†-~....... BUT REALLY ISN'T THAT KEEPING THE .......~-†
-~........ DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? ........~-
~......... .........~
-~........ I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ........~-
†-~....... IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY .......~-†
§†-~...... SHOWS) ......~-†§
%§†-~..... .....~-†§%
¤%§†-~.... #...--------...# ....~-†§%¤
#¤%§†-~... ####.-- FERMI'S PARADOX --.#### ...~-†§%¤#
##¤%§†-~.. #...--------...# ..~-†§%¤##
###¤%§†-~. .~-†§%¤###
##¤%§†-~.. I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE ..~-†§%¤##
#¤%§†-~... THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ...~-†§%¤#
¤%§†-~.... FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ....~-†§%¤
%§†-~..... .....~-†§%
§†-~...... ......~-†§
†-~....... .......~-†
-~........ ........~-
~......... .........~